Trial set for Tyler man accused of dipping child in boiling water

TYLER – A trial date has been set for a Tyler man who was indicted after his four-year-old stepson suffered third-degree burns. According to our news partner KETK, Joshua Tranair Meekings, 26, was indicted Aug. 11 for first-degree felony injury to a child, and a jury trial for his case has been set for Nov. 14. According to an affidavit, Meekings originally told hospital staff at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where the child was airlifted to for their injuries, that the child had bumped into a stove and knocked over a boiling pot of water. However, a CPS worker assigned to the case claimed the burn injuries were not consistent with Meekings story, and told the Smith County Sheriff’s Office the burns were more likely from “the child being dipped in boiling water.”

Meekings told detectives he placed the child in the bathtub and left him for three to five minutes while he played video games, according to an affidavit. A doctor said the majority of the burns were third degree on up to 36% of his body and would require multiple surgeries. The affidavit said it is believed that Meekings held down the child in the bathtub, causing the severe burning, in contrast to Meekings’s account of what happened. Meekings was also indicted in June for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. His bond has been set at $1 million, and he has remained in jail since his May arrest.